One of the huge AI companies has chosen the word ‘anthropic’ as their brand name.
The word ‘anthropic’ means ‘of, or related to, human beings.’
It comes from the Greek word anthropos meaning ‘human.’
Does it strike you as odd that a company that is pushing AI should (by using such a name) be saying to the human race ‘we’re on your side.’
Because there is no certainty at the moment that AI is a technology that will prove to be an unbounded benefit to humanity.
I suppose it might be—but we shall have to wait and see.
The word has (up until now) mainly been used in the expression ‘the anthropic principle.’
This is a scientific principle that says when you look at what are called the ‘constants’ of the physical universe (such as gravity, the balance between helium and hydrogen, the size of our sun, the size of our planet, the laws of thermodynamics and so on) they are all exactly fine-tuned to support human life.
If any one of them had been even fractionally different then human life would be impossible.
The fact that they are exactly (to the smallest decimal point) what is needed to support human life looks to be beyond coincidence—it looks suspiciously as if the whole universe was designed precisely to bring forth and support human life.
Which gives the universe an intelligent and purposeful design.
That, until now, has been the main use of the word ‘anthropic’—and now it’s being used by an AI company as if to imply ‘everything we do is for the benefit of the human race.’
At least that appears to be their claim.
Whether it turns out to be true or we shall (as I said) have to wait and see.
Tonight I will be a contributor on 'The Macpherson Angle' with James MacPherson on New24 -- from 8pm (AEDT).
The latest issue of The Spectator Australia is in newsagents now with a cartoon of Noah's ark on the front cover and my 'Language' column in the back.
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BY THE WAY...
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